Reckoning
by ShardsandAshes
Summary: Eventually, each of us must face a reckoning for our actions. It is time for Minerva McGonagall to face hers. For her former lover and reinstated auror, Amelia Bones, it will be the most shocking investigation of her career, and its fallout will shake the wizarding world to the core.
1. Called to Duty

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: It is AU in that Amelia Bones survives the war. I have also altered Minerva McGonagall's activities during the war and added or changed other minor details. There is an understood previous femslash relationship between Minerva McGonagall and Amelia Bones, but it won't be fully rekindled until near the end of the story. I'm playing fast and loose with wizarding law and making things up as I go along. **

** By the way, if you don't like my story, save your fingers and your keyboard and go find something else to read.**

When the floo in his office flared to life, Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt was surprised to see Amelia Bones' head in the flames.

"Amelia, to what do I owe the pleasure? And why may I ask are you calling me from the floo in Minerva's office?" His smile faded as he saw Amelia's frown.

"Kingsley, we have a situation here. You might more accurately say Minerva's former office because she just passed the school wards over to Filius and stepped down." Amelia sighed as she watched Kingsley come closer to the floo.

"Is she retiring after all? This seems more than a little abrupt," he asked, clearly puzzled since the resignation or retirement of a head of Hogwarts was supposed to go through the Minister of Magic and the school board before it was approved.

Amelia shook her head. "I wish that was the case. I've already spoken with the staff, and they apparently had no inkling of what Minerva was planning. She certainly didn't tell me when she hired me to take over Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Kingsley crossed his arms over his chest. "Considering that you're the one speaking to me, I'm assuming that there is more to this than a simple resignation. What has she asked of you, Amelia?"

Although his mentor was an expect at hiding her emotions, Kingsley had worked beside Amelia Bones for decades, certainly long enough to tell when she was troubled. He hadn't seen her as upset as she was now since the Final Battle nearly four months ago. His dark eyes sharpened on the elder woman.

"Kingsley, Minerva has requested that I subject her to a private investigation regarding her actions during the year leading up to the Final Battle." Under more pleasant circumstances, Amelia would have found Kingsley's utter shock to be amusing.

"She what? Minerva McGonagall has asked to be interrogated? Why in Merlin's name would she feel the need to do that? I thought we had long since cleared up that minor matter of the Imperius she cast on Amycus Carrow during the Final Battle." He shook his head in disbelief. "Is this a result of Minerva's guilty conscience?"

Amelia's frown deepened. "I wish I could say it was. I think that's part of it, but I also think there is something more involved." She lowered her voice. "Kingsley, I ran a cursory check of her wand. I can't give you specifics without more extensive examination, but I can tell you that I found evidence of multiple castings of all three Unforgivables, some of them dating to well before the Final Battle. I also found evidence of other kinds of dark magic. I don't want to believe it, but I have to admit that there is more than sufficient cause to formally investigate Minerva."

Kingsley's eyes widened. "I can't believe it. If it was anyone other than you telling me this, I wouldn't believe it. What was she involved in to get mixed up in all that? Is it possible that someone stole her wand?"

It was Amelia's turn to shake her head. "No. There is no magical signature on her wand except for her own." She met Kingsley's gaze. "I don't know what to think anymore. But I do think that I have no other option but to proceed with the private investigation that she has requested." She paused, eyeing him knowingly. "I need you, in your capacity as Minister of Magic, to reinstate me as an auror."

Kingsley considered. "Minerva and you were lovers once. Do you think you can be impartial enough to carry out your duties to the Ministry and the country you serve?"

For one of those very rare times, Amelia blushed ever so slightly. "I believe that I can. Really, who else can do it? Kingsley, I have made it known to her that I am still interested, but she has rebuffed me every time. And as you well know, I am capable of keeping my personal life and my professional life separate."

Kingsley managed a small smile. "I know that quite well, Amelia. I stand corrected." His gaze turned serious again. "Well, let us get down to business. I will change my robes and come through momentarily."

Amelia nodded. "I'll meet you back here in ten minutes."

By the time Kingsley arrived, Amelia was dressed in her scarlet auror robes, the formal robes reserved for official administrative functions. Kingsley had changed from his work robes into the adjudication robes he wore in his role as head of the Wizengamot. Kingsley had to repress a smile as he watched Amelia who was clearly ill at ease in finery she hadn't worn for months.

"Once an auror, always an auror. You know that, Amelia."

She offered a small smile. "I know. But you know I've always hated these robes. They are far too ostentatious for me. I'm an auror, not a peacock. I thought I was done with them for good."

Kingsley chuckled. "No one ever said our career was comfortable."

Amelia laughed but sobered quickly. "Too true, Kingsley. Can we take care of this?"

In answer, Kingsley drew his wand as Amelia did the same.

"Give me the oath, Amelia," the Minister of Magic said, his voice ringing as solemnly as it did in the Wizengamot chamber.

"I, Amelia Susan Bones, do swear upon my life and magic that I will to the best of my ability protect the wizarding world from the Dark Arts and those who practice them by any and all means necessary, administer justice with a fair and impartial eye, protect and defend the innocent, and serve my country in whatever service is demanded of me no matter the cost even if my life is forfeit. So mote it be."

Kingsley answered. "I, Kingsley Martin Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic for England, do receive your oath and hereby reinstate you as an auror with full rights, responsibilities, and privileges incumbent upon that position. Furthermore, I charge you to administer the private investigation of Minerva McGonagall, former headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In that charge, you shall answer directly to me. So I have declared it, so mote it be." Kingsley held out his wand and touched it to Amelia's wand which ignited a flash of magic and validated both the oath and the charge.

Amelia took Kingsley's outstretched hand and shook it, and he returned the handshake. But when she started to turn away, he did not let her leave.

"Are you going to arrest Minerva now?" Kingsley asked.

"Yes. Of course, the students won't be here for another week, but the staff has assembled in the Great Hall. Minerva's last act was to call them together there. For some reason, Minerva insisted that she be taken into custody publicly. From there, I will take her to the Room of Requirement." Amelia raised her brows at him. "Do you want to come with me?"

Kingsley nodded. "I think it will be best if I did. What better way to show Minerva that her request is being taken seriously?" He paused, glancing sidelong at the sleeping portraits on the wall. "Do you really think that Minerva has gone dark?"

Amelia's lips drew into a straight line. "I don't know what to think, Kingsley. But I intend to find out. And if the truth is darker than I hope, I will not protect her from the consequences of her actions."

"I never doubted that, Amelia."

The two old friends stood together in grim silent accord.


	2. Under Arrest

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: It is AU in that Amelia Bones survives the war. I have also altered Minerva McGonagall's activities during the war and added or changed other minor details. There is an understood previous femslash relationship between Minerva McGonagall and Amelia Bones, but it won't be fully rekindled until near the end of the story.**

** Minerva requested a private investigation, and that leaves the Minister some leeway in determining where it should take place. It will not take place at the Ministry or Azkaban because that would render it a "public" investigation, meaning everyone would know. The findings of the investigation will be sealed and not a matter of public knowledge unless the Minister of Magic deems it necessary. I'm making up wizarding law and order as I go along. This is AU so I will be playing with canon and filling in blanks as I see fit. **

Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt and Auror Amelia Bones made an odd but striking picture as they swept into the Great Hall where the staff had gathered. The Head Table was empty, and everyone stood silently, seemingly at loose ends, in a tight group in the main aisle between the student tables. Save for the rustle of robes as the administrators of justice entered, the cavernous room was silent.

Standing apart from the rest, stoic and stiff-backed, was Minerva McGonagall. To an outsider, she appeared to be made of stone, as blank as the walls of the castle. But those who knew her best could see the fatigue, the worry, and the guilt that lined her face and haunted her eyes as it had done every day since Albus Dumbledore's death. Amelia knew that Minerva had taken every single death, regardless of what side the person was on, to heart. She had taught nearly every Death Eater as well as every one of their children. Though Poppy Pomfrey had not come right out and said it, she had hinted to Amelia after Minerva's resignation that Minerva had been taking far too much Dreamless Sleep potion since the Final Battle. Amelia knew all too well what nightmares were like, and she had no doubt that Minerva saw the faces of the dead in her dreams.

Of course, Minerva would never admit that she needed a mind healer. She had a backbone as hard as stone, and vulnerability was a flaw that she had never permitted herself…except, very rarely, in Amelia's arms.

Amelia mentally shook herself. This was not the time to allow personal matters to cloud her judgment. She never had before, and she would not start now. She glanced beside her at Kingsley who nodded. It was time.

They strode over to Minerva, though Kingsley stood back, acting as a witness along with the rest of the faculty and staff as Amelia met Minerva's eyes and began to speak.

"Minerva McGonagall, in the name of the Ministry of Magic, I am placing you under arrest for the use of the Unforgivable Curses, various other forms of dark magic, the condoning and use of torture, and murder. You will surrender your wand, and I will take you into custody." Amelia Bones held out her hand expectedly even as she removed a pair of hand cuffs from her pocket with her other hand.

Silently, Minerva took her wand and gave it to Amelia, who tucked it away before stepping behind the elder witch. With more force and roughness than was strictly necessary, Amelia grasped Minerva's arms and pulled them behind her back, locking the handcuffs around her wrists. They were magical handcuffs and blocked the magic of the one wearing them, thus allowing aurors to ensure that prisoners could not use magic, even wandless magic. Finally, she cast a tethering spell to keep Minerva at her side without having to physically hold her. The elder witch winced at the rough treatment, but she made no other complaint.

With the arrest process complete, Amelia turned to Kingsley and saluted. "Minister, the prisoner is in custody. What are your orders?"

Kingsley's voice was icy. "You shall incarcerate the prisoner in the Room of Requirement for a period of three days. I require you to guard her at all times. She shall be permitted no visitors, no luxuries, and she shall receive the same treatment as any other prisoner. On the fourth day, you shall report your findings to me at which time I will decide whether an extended investigation is needed. Furthermore, I grant you permission to use any and all means necessary to compel the prisoner to answer truthfully so long as you do not permanently harm the prisoner. Do you understand your orders, Auror Bones?"

Again, Amelia saluted. "Yes, Minister, I understand. Am I dismissed to see to my duties?"

Kingsley nodded shortly. "You are dismissed, Auror Bones. Take the prisoner away."

In silence, Amelia turned with Minerva compelled to walk beside her as they passed through the assembled staff and out of the Great Hall. Amelia had no doubt that Minerva noticed the confused, troubled expressions on the faces of her former colleagues. Meanwhile, Amelia was pondering the unfamiliar presence of Minerva's wand, a presence that felt distinctly darker than it should have. But when they turned the corner, Amelia happened to make eye contact with Minerva. She barely restrained her gasp.

There were no tears and no anger. What Amelia saw on Minerva's face was the most complete expression of relief that she had ever seen Minerva make.

Amelia had seen that look before on other prisoners. She didn't completely manage to repress a shiver.

It was the look of a person about to finally get what they knew they deserved.


	3. Admission of Guilt

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: Amelia will address Minerva by her first name or her first and last name without a title. Minerva will address Amelia as Madam Bones. I'm making up wizarding law and order on the fly. This is AU so I will be playing with canon and filling in blanks as I see fit. Amelia will be the stern auror in this story for Minerva's interrogation, but there will be moments when both of them remember their shared past relationship…one that neither has completely let go of. **

Minerva had not said a word as they made their way to the Room of Requirement, and she remained silent as Amelia quietly ordered the room to provide the setting and tools that she needed. The holding cell was first, and Minerva seemed grateful to make her way to the utilitarian bed that appeared and sit down on it once Amelia had released the tether spell. Amelia watched her out of the corner of her eye as she oversaw the rest of the preparations including a small room for herself that would afford her some privacy while allowing her to keep a watch on her prisoner. Following procedure, she asked the room to provide bars that would, if necessary, physically separate her from her charge. Amelia had doubts as to whether they would be needed, but she remembered Moody's drilling on "constant vigilance." Friend and lover or not, Amelia could not risk underestimating Minerva, especially if she had been dealing with dark magic.

For now, she watched the elder witch through the bars even as she laid out the tools that she had brought with her. These included Veritaserum and its antidote as well as a Pensieve. The Minister of Magic had further authorized her to use all resources at her disposal to get to the bottom of Minerva's case, and Amelia had an arsenal of darker spells to use if Minerva wouldn't talk. For both their sakes, she hoped she wouldn't have to use them.

Amelia set up an automatic recording quill to keep her from having to write everything down herself, and then, taking a deep, steadying breath, turned back to look through the bars at Minerva McGonagall. The elder witch sat with her legs pulled up off the floor and tucked under the skirts of her robe as she leaned back against the stone wall of her cell. It was an odd pose for Minerva, and Amelia wondered again just what could have the formidable woman looking so wearily resigned.

Amelia sternly cut off that train of thought. The time for wondering was over. It was time for answers.

She entered the cell, locking the door behind her and warding it according to procedure. Taking up a chair, she sat down in front of her prisoner beside a small desk on which the quill stood ready to take notes. Finally, Minerva looked up to meet her eyes.

Amelia nodded and began. "Minerva McGonagall, you are charged with multiple uses of the Unforgivable Curses, the use of other dark magic, the condoning and use of torture, and murder. Since you have initiated this investigation, you shall answer directly to me and, through me, to the Minister of Magic. In this matter, how do you plead?"

For the first time in over an hour, Minerva spoke. "I plead guilty, Madam Bones." Her voice was so flat and emotionless that Amelia nearly flinched. She took another deep breath.

"Very well, we will proceed with this investigation. I will first scan you for Polyjuice, compulsion and aversion charms, and the Imperius Curse." A few waves of her wand assured Amelia that, as much as she had hoped otherwise, there was no outside force compelling Minerva nor had there ever been. Minerva was wholly herself, and whatever choices she had made had been made without any outside interference that she could detect.

"Minerva, do you claim to have been influenced in any way by any external force through either magical or muggle means?" Amelia's hopes fell as Minerva shook her head.

"No, Madam Bones. The choices I made were mine alone." Minerva shifted on the bed, clearly uncomfortable with the magical hand cuffs that still bound her arms behind her back and blocked her magic.

Amelia hesitated, wondering if she should offer to remove the cuffs. The Minister had said that Minerva should have no luxuries, but continual discomfort would not make her more inclined to answer questions.

"Would you prefer that I remove the cuffs?" Amelia asked.

Minerva swallowed visibly. "They are rather uncomfortable, Madam Bones."

Amelia spoke the spell that released them and watched as Minerva rubbed feeling back into her arms. Drawing her wand, Amelia cast a general magical block, cutting off Minerva's magic as effectively as the cuffs had.

Minerva nodded tiredly, leaning back against the wall again and turning her blank green eyes on Amelia.

Amelia sighed. She had hoped that Minerva might be inclined to be talkative, but it was clear that the witch had no intention of being forthcoming with her. They would have to do everything the hard way.

Minerva had always been stubborn.

Following tedious procedure, Amelia said, "I will now do a deep scan of your wand to determine the spells that have been cast with it." The next ten minutes were silent save for the scratch of the quill against parchment as it recorded the information retrieved by the revelation spell that Amelia had cast on Minerva's wand. When the spell was finally complete, only Amelia's auror training prevented her from burning the parchment on the spot. As it was, she slammed her hand down on the desk, nearly upsetting the inkwell.

Minerva did not so much as blink.

Amelia could not believe it. Yet, there it was, and neither the revelation spell itself nor the results of the spell could be magically tampered with. Minerva had indeed been using dark magic…a lot of it.

"Minerva, is there any possibility that someone else cast these spells?" Amelia managed to keep the pleading out of her voice. But Minerva quickly dashed her hopes.

"There is not, Madam Bones."

Amelia pinned Minerva with her navy blue stare. "I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation, Minerva. Your wand shows that it was used to cast the Imperius twenty-six times, the Cruciatus twelve times, and the Killing Curse two times. In addition, it was used to perform blood magic for an unknown purpose and several other dark spells that I can't readily identify." Shaking her head, Amelia continued. "The time signature on most of the magic shows that the magic was cast well before the Final Battle. Minerva, even one Unforgivable cast during peace time is grounds for immediate incarceration in Azkaban. Your wand shows at least as much dark magic as the average Death Eater's wand." She took a breath to steady her voice. "I will ask you again, Minerva McGonagall. Did you cast those spells?"

Minerva's response was monotone. "Madam Bones, I cast them all."

There was another long silence. Finally, Amelia abandoned proper procedure, dropped her voice to a whisper, and caught Minerva's hands in her own. She knew that her nails were digging into Minerva's skin. She knew that any contact not for the purpose of restraint or interrogation was discouraged. She didn't care.

"Damn you, Minerva! I know you can't possibly have done these things, and yet, this magic cannot lie. Why in Merlin's name would you have gotten involved in this?" Amelia's voice shook with repressed anger and grief.

But Minerva's response was vacant of any feeling. "I did it because I had to. Then, I did it because they asked me to." She looked as though she would continue but did not.

Amelia swallowed hard and prompted her, "And then?"

For the first time, Minerva's voice trembled slightly. "In the end, I did it because I craved the dark magic too much to stop."

A sickly silence followed. Finally, Amelia asked, "Do you still crave it?"

Minerva looked away, pulling her hands away from Amelia's. Amelia allowed it. She watched the woman she had loved and fought beside and lost. She watched her prisoner, the woman whose fate she held in her hands.

And she heard her when Minerva whispered, "Yes."


	4. Crime of Omission

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: Please remember this story is AU. I have added/changed canon regarding Severus Snape's backstory and activities as headmaster as well as Minerva's in addition to making other minor changes. Minerva's lack of response to Severus's revelation when he was a student may seem OOC for her, but I think canon leaves open the possibility of house heads not paying as much attention to the needs of students of other houses. Dumbledore is a prime example of such favoritism, and I think that Minerva could fall prey to it too. I'll also warn for a passing, non-graphic mention of the spanking of one adult by another.**

For once, Amelia Bones was at a loss for words. She was familiar with the idea of addiction to dark magic, and she had occasionally dealt with prisoners, usually Death Eaters, who were afflicted with it. In fact, though it was a closely guarded secret, a good number of aurors struggled with it at some point during their careers. Amelia knew that she and Kingsley had been fortunate in that they had never experienced it, though they had both come perilously close to it. Neither had admitted to the other just how close that was. Typically, the lighter one's magic was, the less likely one was to fall prey to the addiction.

For those few light wizards and witches who did, the addiction would take hold with a vengeance.

Amelia managed to find her voice. "Do you claim that your addiction was a mitigating circumstance in your actions?"

Minerva's monotone was back. "I do not. I could have resisted my cravings if I had tried hard enough. I chose not to."

For the second time, Amelia's hand came down on the desk. "Merlin, Minerva, I'm trying to give you an out here! Why do you keep fighting me?"

Minerva made no response.

Amelia forced calm over herself. Whether she liked it or not, the prisoner was resisting. It was time to use a little more force. Slowly, she picked up the vial of Veritaserum. Minerva blinked but offered no other reaction.

"Minerva McGonagall, because you are resisting this questioning, I will administer Veritaserum to you. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Minerva said.

Amelia stood up beside her prisoner and tipped Minerva's head back. Once the elder witch had swallowed three drops of the liquid, Amelia sat down again.

"Now, Minerva, let's get some answers." She picked up the parchment that held the results of the wand scan.

"We'll start with the Cruciatus. Upon whom did you cast the Cruciatus?"

"I cast the Cruciatus on Severus Snape."

"Why did you cast the curse on him?"

Minerva responded, "I cast the curse on Severus Snape to punish him for killing Albus Dumbledore."

After a moment of thought, Amelia nodded. It made sense, as much of any of it made sense. Of course, Minerva would want to punish Snape. Those two had always clashed over everything.

"How many times did you cast the curse on him?" Amelia asked.

"I cast it twelve times on Severus Snape." Minerva shifted uncomfortably, and Amelia was quick to notice her reaction.

"Why did you cast it so many times on Severus Snape?" she said suspiciously.

Again, Minerva shifted, nearly squirming. "I cast it on Severus over the course of the year that he was headmaster because he asked me to."

Puzzled, Amelia asked, "Why would he want such a thing?"

Minerva's eyes were not so blank, despite the serum, when she answered. "He wanted to be punished. He wanted, and he needed to atone for his sins. He actually begged me to be the agent of that for him. I agreed."

Amelia shook her head in disbelief. "He had to have known how much repeated use of such dark magic would affect you! How could he do such a thing? Why in Merlin's name would you agree to such an arrangement? Did he force or coerce you?"

Now, Amelia saw a flash of anger in Minerva's green eyes. "He most certainly did not! I agreed to it willingly."

Amelia's shock was clear in her voice. "You agreed to it? He was asking you to repeatedly commit an illegal act, dark magic that should have landed you in Azkaban. What could possibly have possessed you to do such a thing? Did the magic addle your mind, Minerva?"

Minerva's green eyes were cold. "Let's just say, I owed him."

Amelia exploded. "That's not good enough, damn it! What could you possibly owe him that would be worth this kind of repayment? Just tell me that!"

Minerva's reply was full of self-recrimination. She seemed to slump against the wall, all detachment temporarily deserting her.

"Severus was my student when he attended Hogwarts. I taught him. His muggle father abused him. I knew. I knew because he told me. He trusted me with that knowledge. His head of house refused to help him so he came to me. I saw his injuries. I told him I would help him. But he was not one of my lions. He was a snake. He was a Slytherin so I did nothing." Minerva's voice was so low that Amelia had to strain to hear her. "Do you understand me, Madam Bones? I knew he was being abused, and I did nothing!" The last word came out in a hiss.

Amelia could not restrain her gasp. "You ignored child abuse, Minerva? You ignored child abuse because he was not a member of your house?"

Minerva swallowed hard. "Yes, Madam Bones, I did. That was why I gave Severus Snape what he wanted because nothing I could ever do could make up for what I had not done. I placed my own prejudices over the welfare of a child, and that child suffered horribly because of me. And he grew up to be a Death Eater!"

Amelia fought to keep her voice steady. "When did you cast the curse on Snape?"

Minerva tried to calm herself. "After a dark revel, he would come to my quarters. I cast the curse on him each time. Other times, when the stress got to be too much, he would seek me out. He didn't want the curse then. He wanted other things."

Amelia's eyes narrowed. "What other things?"

Minerva responded by narrowing her eyes as well. "It was nothing like what you are thinking. Severus was impotent, a dubious gift from the Dark Lord so that he would not be distracted by the needs of the flesh. But Severus still wanted discipline, a very physical kind of discipline. He wanted me to spank him. It was the sort of thing that he could understand. And that's exactly what I did. Afterward, he wanted me to hold him during what little sleep he got at night. He needed it, and so did I. We took from each other what comfort we could."

"Did he give you pleasure?" Amelia asked.

Minerva shook her head. "That was never a possibility between us. I was a mother figure to him. Even when I dueled with him that final time, he tried not to hurt me. When we slept together, that was exactly what we were doing, sleeping."

Amelia shook herself, resolving to get the interrogation back on track. "The fact remains that you repeatedly cast an Unforgivable when our world was not in active war. You did this willingly for the explicit purpose of inflicting pain regardless of the extenuating circumstances that may have been present. Now, I will also probably have to add child neglect to the list of charges against you so long as the statute of limitations has not expired. Minerva McGonagall, I ask you again. What were you thinking?"

Minerva looked down at her hands that she was twisting nervously in her lap. When she looked back up again, her eyes were haunted.

"Madam Bones, I was remembering a beaten, bruised eleven-year-old boy in second-hand robes who came to me for help. I turned away from him the first time. I was not about to turn away from him again, no matter what it cost me."

Amelia's voice was flat. "Then you have no regret or remorse for what you did?"

Minerva's response cut like a knife no matter how detached Amelia tried to be.

"No, Madam Bones. Absolutely none at all."


	5. Aiding and Abetting

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: Please remember this story is AU. There will be a portion of this chapter that takes place in Minerva's mind, and it will be written in italics. I have also altered what the Carrows did to the students in that they never physically harm the students.**

** This chapter introduces a very unusual relationship between the Carrow siblings and Minerva McGonagall. It has absolutely nothing to do with sex in any way shape or form. It is not a "kink" of any kind. It is solely a relationship formed out of the desire to comfort and be comforted. Alecto and Amycus Carrow are adults, but they are severely traumatized and emotionally damaged. They want time to be children. Minerva craves children of her own, and she is trying to atone for her apathy toward Snape's abuse, among other things. Alecto, Amycus, and Minerva need each other, and they are helping to keep each other sane just as Minerva is doing the same for Snape in a completely different way. **

** I have also posted another story called "Brother and Sister." It is a companion story to this one and provides my head canon backstory for Alecto and Amycus Carrow. It will begin to have a bearing on the story in this chapter. It is not absolutely necessary to read that story to understand this one, but it would be helpful. Please read the warnings in the ANs, however. It comes with a triggers warning. **

Contrary to what Amelia had hoped, a night's sleep had not made Minerva any more willing to talk on the second day of her interrogation. If anything, Minerva seemed more resistant, and Amelia wondered if she was having second thoughts about initiating the whole process.

Amelia reigned herself in sternly. Minerva's feelings were irrelevant. The investigation would continue, and Amelia would find out the full truth. She wasn't known as the only auror as skilled as Alastor Moody for nothing.

They sat in the same positions as the previous day with Amelia in the chair and Minerva sitting on the bed she had just slept in, leaning against the wall with her feet tucked up under her robe. Her eyes were clearly tired. Amelia suspected that the woman had not slept well the previous night, but Amelia had denied Minerva's request for Dreamless Sleep potion. Kingsley had forbidden Minerva to have any special privileges. It wasn't a medical necessity, and Madame Pomfrey had made it clear the Minerva had grown too dependent on the potion.

"Minerva McGonagall, we will now resume this interrogation. Your wand scan shows that you cast the Imperius twenty-six times. It is already a matter of public record that you cast the Imperius on Amycus Carrow during the Final Battle. Under the circumstances, that instance could be excused. However, the other twenty-five times are unaccounted for. They all show time signatures before the Final Battle." Amelia paused, meeting Minerva's green stare. The blank expression of the previous day had slipped, and there was more than a hint of defiance in Minerva's eyes now.

"Minerva McGonagall, on whom did you cast those curses?" She was pleased when Minerva immediately answered the question.

"I cast them on Amycus and Alecto Carrow."

Amelia raised her eyebrows. "Who else did you cast them on?"

Minerva's voice was still a monotone. "No one, Madam Bones."

Amelia couldn't keep her eyes from widening. "You cast all twenty-five of them on the Carrows?"

"I did, Madam Bones."

Amelia's eyes narrowed. "Why did you cast them on the Carrows?"

Minerva's answer was eerily similar to the previous day. "I cast them on the Carrows because they asked me to."

Amelia buried her face in her hands for a moment and then brought her hands down on the desk…again.

"Minerva, you are not making this easy for me! Very well, why did the Carrows ask you to cast the Imperius on them?"

The elder witch stared at a point just above Amelia's shoulder. "They were weary of making choices for themselves. And Amycus hoped that if they were under the Imperius he would have a slightly better chance of surviving the war and keeping himself and his sister alive."

Amelia leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm at a loss here. They were Death Eaters. You were well aware of that. Yet, you expect me to believe that you willingly assisted them simply because they asked you to?" She straightened up abruptly. "Did they threaten the students? Is that why you did it?"

Minerva inclined her head. "They only threatened them the first time. I realize now that it was a ploy to get me to do what they wanted. I cast the curse the first time to get them to stop." Minerva paused, and Amelia noticed that there was something that looked far too much like sympathy in her eyes as she continued. "I realized after I cast it how relieved they both were to be under the curse. When I lifted it, they begged me to do it again and to keep them under the curse indefinitely." She sighed, her detachment slipping. "I did my best though I had to keep casting it because of how much magic it took to keep two people under the curse. Alecto and Amycus are still alive at least, even if they are in Azkaban. Thank Merlin there are no Dementors there anymore."

Amelia simply shook her head, too shocked to speak at first. She reapplied the spell to the recording quill, cast a sticking charm on the inkwell (at the rate things were going, she was eventually going to knock it over), and tried to calm her unsettled emotions. She had loved the woman before her and still loved her, beyond measure. It was their careers that had been incompatible with a permanent relationship between them. But the side of Minerva that she was seeing now left her uneasy. Amelia was uneasy, not only because the idea that even Minerva was capable of going dark was unpleasant but also because there was a part of her that was keenly interested in this new angle to her former lover. That was the part of her that had nearly fallen to dark magic addiction.

Amelia had never told anyone, even Kingsley, just how close she had come to giving in.

To get the questioning moving again, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Minerva, you sound as if you feel some sort of emotional attachment to the Carrows." Minerva suddenly lashed out.

"You say that as though I have committed a crime simply by caring about them!"

Amelia was taken aback by Minerva's reaction. "So you do admit to caring about them?"

"Yes, Madam Bones, I do! Is that such a horrible crime?" Minerva's face was flushed, and she was breathing hard.

Amelia realized she'd hit a sore spot and seized the advantage. "You gave comfort to the enemy! A dark wizard and witch known to have committed horrible crimes! What can you possibly say to defend that?"

Minerva stared down at her hands, clearly trying to get herself back under control. The elder witch scowled at the auror.

"If you knew what those two went through you would understand!"

Amelia leaned forward, drawing her wand. "Then show me!"

Minerva smirked, startling Amelia. "Go ahead and try it."

"_Legilimens!"_ Amelia said, her wand in Minerva's face.

Amelia expected to find Minerva's mind open with very few defenses. She knew that Albus Dumbledore had tried to teach Minerva Occlumency multiple times, but Minerva had been unable to learn the skill. As far as Amelia knew, Minerva still had not learned it.

However, Amelia quickly determined that she was very, very wrong.

The auror pulled out abruptly, gasping for air after the most brutal assault on Minerva's mind that she had been able to muster had given her nothing. She stared bewildered at the elder witch.

"Who taught you Occlumency?" she managed.

"Severus Snape."

Amelia nodded absently, staring down at her hands as she tucked her wand away. She chided herself for not expecting it.

"How was he able to teach you when Albus couldn't?" she asked, purely out of curiosity.

"Albus never quite stopped seeing me as his student, a delicate flower whom he had to coddle and protect." Minerva smiled slightly. "Severus knew better, and he made certain that I understood that he would not go easy on me. It was one of the truest things that he ever said to me."

Amelia almost shivered. She knew Severus's reputation, and she also knew Minerva's high tolerance for pain. For Minerva to say that, she had no doubt it had to have been an exceedingly rough process. However, she herself had broken through Severus's shields once. She could break Minerva's shields too.

Taking the other woman by surprise, Amelia cast the spell again, this time wandlessly and wordlessly, using more force than anyone but a master Occlumens would be able to stand.

Minerva screamed.

And then Amelia was inside.

_The auror found herself in a long hallway that resembled a very dark version of Hogwart. Locked doors branched off the hallway. Each door displayed at least one name. One door was Severus Snape. Another was Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. Amelia continued on. Then she found a door that said Alecto and Amycus Carrow. Without hesitation, she drew her wand and blasted it open. Dimly, she heard Minerva scream again. She ignored it and opened the door. _

_Amelia wasn't sure what she had been expecting to find, but it was certainly not the strangely sweet domestic scene that met her eyes. She recognized the room as being the guest room in Minerva's quarters at Hogwarts. Amelia had stayed there herself occasionally. But everything about it was changed. It had been enlarged to house two twin beds so that two people could share it. The floor was completely covered with a green plush rug. On the rug sat the Carrow siblings, and in the rocking chair behind them sat Minerva McGonagall. _

_Their robes were nowhere to be found, and Minerva and Alecto both had their hair down. Amelia noticed the Carrows' wands were up on a high shelf though Minerva had hers on the table beside her. Minerva was flipping through a children's book that Amelia recognized as __Tales of Beetle the Bard__ as Alecto rocked a toy dragon in one arm and built a block castle with her other hand. Amycus sat beside her, smiling as he held his own dragon and helped his sister with the castle. The feared Death Eaters' eyes held the expected glassiness of the Imperius, but there was also clear happiness, too much to be due to the curse alone._

"_Minnie, come help us with the castle! Look how well we've done so far!" Alecto exclaimed as Amycus watched his sister proudly._

_Minerva glanced up, smiling at them. "Oh very well, you two. Move over and make some room." She drew her wand and cast cushioning charms before sitting down beside the Carrows on the rug. She lay the book and her wand aside. They promptly handed her blocks. _

_Minerva laughed. "Where shall I put these then? On top?"_

"_On top, Minnie, so the castle can be taller!" Amycus answered. With exaggerated care, Minerva placed the blocks where she was directed. Alecto and Amycus grinned._

"_It looks so good now. We've never built it that high before," Alecto said as she and her brother admired their creation._

_Minerva laughed again. "You did very well. I don't think I've ever seen such a good castle. But we need to put the toys away now and get the two of you to bed. We've all got classes tomorrow." The younger witch and wizard started to protest, but Minerva held up her wand. "You know the rules. No arguing. Now go get ready for bed. Since you two are staying here tonight, I can read you a bedtime story."_

_The look on Minerva's face was excruciatingly tender as she watched them go._

_Amelia found herself unable to watch anymore. She shut the door, leaning back against it as her head spun with the implications of what she had just seen. It was known that the Imperius was more effective on the rare occasions that the one placed under it truly desired to be under the control of the other and that under those circumstances, the curse would produce a state of happiness far beyond the mildly pleasant haze common to all victims of the curse. As Amelia had watched the Carrows, it had become abundantly clear that they were truly happy, and their calling Minerva "Minnie" had sounded perilously close to "Mummy."_

_Amelia knew it shouldn't have surprised her. The final straw leading to her and Minerva's breakup so many years ago had been Amelia's refusal to find a less demanding position that would have allowed her to help Minerva raise a child. In fact, Minerva had been eager to blood adopt Susan when Susan's parents had died, leaving her custody to Amelia. But Amelia had simply been too in love with her job to consider it and thought that Minerva was asking too much of her. Thus, like so many pureblooded children, Susan was raised mostly by house elves. As for Minerva, she had left that night and never returned. Their relationship had been minimal from that point until now, restricted to the rare times that Amelia's auror responsibilities necessitated communication with Hogwarts._

_By the time that Amelia had come to regret her decision, it was too late to salvage their relationship._

_Shaking herself once again out of her memories, Amelia found herself still in the dark regarding Minerva's motives in "mothering" the Carrows. She set off again down the darkening hall, certain that she would find her answers somewhere within Minerva's mind. Though Amelia expected to find herself going down to the dungeons, she found herself instead walking up the familiar steps to the Head's office at Hogwarts. Naturally, the door refused to open to her, and a blasting spell did no damage at all. It wasn't until she resorted to a darker version of the spell, a blasting hex that included a modified Imperius, that the door finally burst open. _

_Distantly, she heard Minerva scream again, but her mind was absorbed by what she saw sitting on the bookshelf behind the desk…a Pensieve. And in line with Minerva's habit of organizing everything, this one was labeled Alecto and Amycus Carrow._

_Without a moment's hesitation, Amelia dove inside._

She wasn't sure how long it was before she opened her eyes again. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she moved to drag her arm across her face, only to find that she was not only no longer in the Pensieve but also no longer in Minerva's mind. Instead, she was curled up on her side facing her prisoner. Minerva's face was also wet with tears, and there was anguish as well as pain in her exhausted green eyes.

"Madam Bones, are you alright? You fell. I picked you up as well as I could and moved you to the bed so you'd be more comfortable. I couldn't summon Poppy; I hoped you would recover on your own."

Minerva's eyes were clearly relieved when Amelia sat up. "I appreciate the assistance, Minerva. I do not need Poppy." She paused, trying to gather her composure.

"The Carrows didn't have an easy time of it, did they?" Amelia asked.

Minerva did not answer and, for once, Amelia did not push her. She had far too much to think about.

That night, Amelia dreamed of two children alone in the dark.


	6. Murder in the First Degree

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: Please remember this story is AU. Several scenes in this chapter take place in Minerva's mind, and I have put them in italics. Minerva has been twisted by the dark magic she has been using, and that is clearly evident here. It is also evident that Amelia struggles with both the dark magic and her feelings for Minerva, especially dark Minerva. In this chapter, I have made some alterations to canon. The major changes include the attempted defection and subsequent death of the Lestrange brothers, the actions of Albus Dumbledore toward Minerva, and that Severus is Draco's godfather. Of course, Minerva's actions are completely AU. There are other minor changes.**

** There will probably be two more chapters after this one before I begin the sequel story. I have also posted another story called "Brother and Sister." It is a companion story to this one and provides my head canon backstory for Alecto and Amycus Carrow. It is not absolutely necessary to read that story to understand this one, but it would be very helpful. Please read the warnings in the ANs, however. It comes with a triggers warning. **

The last day of the investigation dawned grey and unseasonably cold. There would definitely be rain later. In the Room of Requirement, Madam Bones had just finished going through the motions of her morning routine. She had slept little the previous night since she'd been constantly woken by nightmares. They all revolved around what she'd seen in Minerva's mind regarding what the Carrows had lived through growing up. It was nearly beyond her comprehension to believe that family could be that despicable, much less to children. Yet, they had, and the Carrows had paid a horrible price.

Even knowing just how wrong it was for Minerva to do all that she did, there was a part of Amelia that was very pleased that she had given the Carrows some small measure of comfort and consolation, some brief glimpse into what it was like to be loved by someone other than each other.

With a resigned sigh, Amelia went out to meet her prisoner. It was clear that Minerva had made little attempt to sleep. The shadows under her eyes made her unkempt state that much more obvious. Minerva had not even pinned up her hair, and it was pulled back haphazardly into a messy braid. Minerva's usually lively green eyes were dull and listless. She was living and breathing, but Amelia had never seen Minerva look quite so dead.

It did not portend a pleasant day.

"Alright, Minerva, let's get to the point. Today is the last day of this investigation, and tomorrow I will be reporting to Minister Shacklebolt. We will begin with the Killing Curse, and I do hope that you are more cooperative than yesterday. Minerva McGonagall, your wand scan shows that you cast the Killing Curse two times, and the time signatures show that both curses were cast before the Final Battle. You will now explain the circumstances of those curses."

Amelia sighed when Minerva did not respond.

"Minerva, will you comply? Must I force you again?"

Those lifeless green eyes stared blankly at the wall. Amelia grimaced, steeling herself to break through Minerva's mental shields.

_Suddenly, her prisoner's eyes swung to her, capturing her in a gaze so intense it was almost painful. Before Amelia had a chance to breathe, she was dragged against her will into Minerva's mind and found herself standing breathlessly in the same hallway from the previous day's revelations._

_ Amelia laid a hand against the wall, steadying herself before she went any further. Minerva McGonagall had just performed a wandless and silent Imperius Curse. She had done so while under the strongest possible magical block. While it was becoming clearer and clearer that Minerva had become a dark witch, Amelia was more concerned that her prisoner seemed to have gained a huge amount of magical power. Minerva had always been strong, but the power she had just displayed was equal only to a handful of people. One of those people was Severus Snape. Uneasily, Amelia wondered what else might have happened between Minerva and Severus that had not yet been revealed._

_ Shaking her head to clear it, Amelia strode down the hall. She bypassed the Carrows' door as well as Snape's door. Only one door interested her right now. The door that belonged to Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange was heavily warded, and Amelia found herself again summoning up the dark magic instruction that she had been given many years ago by her auror superior. It was a particularly vicious curse that finally opened the door, and Amelia tried her best to ignore the delicious thrill that using it gave her. She wasn't completely successful._

_ Swallowing hard, she went through the door. This time, the scene that met her eyes was quite different. Amelia found herself in the headmaster's office, watching a conversation between Minerva and Severus. Severus wore his headmaster robes and his Death Eater robe and mask were laid out on his desk. To Amelia's surprise and unease, another robe and mask lay beside it. _

_ "You don't have to do this, Minerva," Severus said, his dark eyes clearly troubled. "I can find someone else. The Dark Lord commanded me to bring a guest to the revel tonight, but he did not say whom."_

_ Minerva frowned at him. "You know as well as I do that I do have to do this. I am not about to let you go with anyone else, and no one else on staff is as magically strong as I am."_

_ Severus sighed. "You will be wearing a glamor, but the Dark Lord will know who you are. You will inevitably be a focus for his attention tonight. Do you realize what he will likely make you do?"_

_ Minerva's lips were set in a tense, straight line. "I'm aware of it."_

_ When she said nothing else, Severus offered, "I can put you under the Imperius. It would exempt you from responsibility in this much at least."_

_ Minerva shook her head. "No, Severus, I will not allow you to absolve me. All my choices, for good or for ill, have been my own. I will not shirk the consequences of them now."_

_ A tense silence followed. "He will make you torture, Minerva. He will make you kill. Of that much, I have no doubt. Do you understand what you are getting into?"_

_ Minerva folded her arms across her chest. "Considering how much dark magic I've been using lately, I don't think I'm completely unprepared." She paused. "I've tortured you."_

_ "That's different." Severus's reply was too quick, and Amelia noted the blush spreading over Severus's sallow cheeks. "Tonight will be different." He looked at her from behind the curtain of hair that hid his face. "Have you ever killed anyone?"_

_ Minerva considered. "I've only done so in self-defense."_

_ Severus nodded. "Well then, you will have quite an awakening tonight." When it was clear that she was not going to beg off at the last moment, Severus reached for the other robe. "If you are truly committed, let me help you dress."_

_ Amelia was barely breathing as she watched a scene that shocked her even more than Minerva playing mother to the Carrows. With great care, Severus Snape dressed Minerva McGonagall in the robe and mask of a Death Eater. Once she was dressed, she returned the favor. Amelia gasped as the pair turned fully into her line of sight._

_ Minerva McGonagall as a Death Eater was an image that she would never forget._

_ The scene melted away and changed into another. A circle of Death Eaters stood on the grounds of Malfoy Manor with the Dark Lord at the head of the circle. At his right side stood Severus Snape, and Lucius Malfoy stood at the Dark Lord's left side. Beside Severus stood Minerva McGonagall. Amelia could see both the brown haired, blue eyed petite female glamor that concealed her as well as her true appearance. _

_ Clearly, the Dark Lord could see through her glamor as well. His attention seemed riveted upon her even as he called out orders._

_ "Bring the prisoners! Let us give our guest something to play with," the Dark Lord hissed as two men were dragged into the circle. They were only barely clothed and had obviously been being kept in the dungeons. But Amelia knew the dark curls without a second glance. She knew them better than most because the Lestrange brothers had come to the Order in secret several months before the Final Battle, offering to spy for them in exchange for protection from the Death Eaters. They wanted out, and they believed that the Order was capable of providing that protection._

_ Amelia sighed…the poor fools. The Order could not protect Severus Snape, and it certainly couldn't protect them. Now it was clear just what had happened to them when the Dark Lord found out about their betrayal._

_ The two men were thrown to the ground bound and silenced. The Dark Lord slipped up behind Minerva and hissed into her ear._

_ "Our little lion has walked willingly into the snake pit! Shall we see what you are capable of? How ironic that your precious Order could not save them! They will meet their end at the wand point of one of those they trusted most…you, fallen little light witch. Dark magic is truly addictive, isn't it? It's the most seductive lover you could ever dream of. Tell me, Minerva McGonagall, have you let it ravish you?"_

_ Minerva did not answer, and the Dark Lord did not seem to expect her to. Instead, he watched with a gleam of pleasure in his scarlet serpentine eyes as Minerva drew her wand._

_ Amelia lost track of the hexes and curses being cast, not just by Minerva but by all the Death Eaters. By the time their victims were only feebly twitching on the ground, the air was nearly dripping with dark magic. The entire circle was bare-faced now, and the look on Minerva's face was one of bewildered euphoria bordering on ecstasy…a look that Amelia had never seen except when her lover was reveling in the afterglow of their love-making._

_ The jealousy cut her like a slicing hex. _

_ The end came abruptly with the Dark Lord's inhuman hand on Minerva's wand arm, commanding her in a low hiss._

_ "End this."_

_ Amelia Bones watched Minerva McGonagall cast the Killing Curse. _

_ Before Amelia could begin to recover from her shock, the scene changed one more time. Now, Amelia stood in the doorway of a guest suite at Malfoy Manor as Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy held a conversation. It quickly became clear that Snape had given Minerva this memory because Minerva herself was nowhere in sight. _

_ "Did you put her to bed? She was in no shape to return to Hogwarts tonight. And I was truly concerned that Alecto and Amycus would be terrified of her in this state," Lucius said._

_ Severus nodded tiredly. "Yes. I had to cast a body bind just to get her to take the sleeping potion." He rubbed his eyes. "My plan doesn't seem to have worked out as well as I'd intended."_

_ Lucius quietly asked. "Were you trying to overdose her on dark magic to break her of the addiction like I did with you?"_

_ Severus leaned against the door. "It worked with me. I had hoped it would work with her. That doesn't appear to be the case, and I think I know why." He paused. "I believe Albus Dumbledore blocked some of Minerva's magic."_

_ Lucius's eyes widened. "You think he blocked her magic? Well, he always did have control issues. I can imagine that if Minerva was showing signs of magic equal to or greater than his he might have taken steps to make sure Minerva never knew it."_

_ Severus gripped his wand. "I think it's likely and that it is the reason that what happened tonight didn't break her addiction. She's not using all her power and, until she does, there is no way to summon up the energy required to snap the cord binding her magic to the darkness. In fact, I know of only one way to do that which is left to me, but it would require shortchanging my godson."_

_ Lucius's eyes lit with understanding. "Ah, you wish to make Minerva your magical heir. Please don't worry about Draco, Severus. He is not grown yet, and receiving your power would be too much for him to handle, however well-intentioned." For one of those rare times, Lucius blinked back tears. "You know, Severus, there is no guarantee that you will not make it out of this alive."_

_ Severus smiled sadly. "Don't fool yourself, Lucius. There is only one way for this to end. I gave Narcissa the Vow, and I have no choice in the matter. But I would have done it anyway. Draco is my godson. I have loved few people in my life, but I count Draco, you, and Narcissa in those few."_

_ "And do you count Minerva in those few as well?" Lucius asked knowingly._

_ A gentle look softened Severus's stern face. "I do. She has given me more than she will ever know and has cared for me more than I deserve. She has paid and will pay a terrible price for it, yet she does it anyway. If there is any chance that this can help her, I will do it gladly."_

_ Lucius swallowed hard. "Your portrait has been completed. I have also had several duplicates made. They're in a warded room just off the potions lab. At least, there will be that much of you left behind." Lucius's breath hitched for a moment before he got himself back under control. "I won't ask for a Vow, Severus. But promise me that you will try to come back as a ghost if you can. We would love to have you here. And I think that your presence will be needed afterward. Minerva's conscience is a force to be reckoned with."_

_ Severus sighed. "Minerva never bought Albus's conviction that doing things 'for the greater good' absolved one of responsibility. It is inevitable that she will seek punishment for her perceived crimes, not just for this night, but for all that she has done this year."_

_ Lucius frowned. "Minerva sees things in black and white."_

_ "When she was with Amelia Bones, she didn't," Severus said. _

_ Despite everything, Lucius chuckled. "I have nothing but respect for Madam Bones, and I don't think it out of the realm of possibility that Amelia Bones may be assigned to Minerva's case when it becomes an issue." He smiled. "It would be a good thing for both of them, I think."_

_ Severus sobered quickly. "But what if Minerva pulls Amelia down with her? Dark magic is seductive; the Dark Lord was right about that much. If Amelia falls as well, I would rather not think about what could happen."_

_ Lucius pointed out, "There have never been Dark Ladies, only Dark Lords. There have certainly never been two of them at once. Besides, Minerva and Amelia are far too old for that."_

_ There was a haunted look in Severus's eyes. "I really hope you're right, Lucius. I don't think our world would survive a third war."_

All at once, Amelia was forced back out of Minerva's mind. She opened her eyes to find herself slouched over the desk, her head in her hands. It was several moments before she could turn her head to look at her prisoner.

"What have you become?" Amelia whispered, her voice a breath of horrified wonder.

Minerva's reply was so soft that Amelia had to strain to hear it.

"I don't know anymore."


	7. The Greater Good?

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: I'm giving a big thank you to MissBeeFarm who offered the lovely expression "a cry for help" in her last review which I have borrowed for Amelia in this chapter. "Adflicto affligo" is Latin for "break." Several scenes in this chapter take place in Minerva's mind, and I have put them in italics. Minerva has been twisted by the dark magic she has been using, and that is clearly evident here. It is also evident that Amelia struggles with both the dark magic and her feelings for Minerva, especially dark Minerva. **

**In this chapter, I have made some alterations to canon. The major changes include Albus Dumbledore's binding of Minerva's magic as well as Minerva being made Severus's "magical heir" (which I completely made up). The affection expressed here between Severus and Minerva is completely platonic and maternal. Minerva and Amelia's actions towards the end of this chapter may seem OOC (though not for this AU). There are other minor changes. I do warn for a bit of language and a mention of blood in this chapter. However, nothing "intimate" happens between Minerva and Amelia at the end of this chapter. It will come but not yet. **

** There will probably be one more chapter after this one before I begin the sequel story. I have posted another story called "Brother and Sister." It is a companion story to this one and provides my head canon backstory for Alecto and Amycus Carrow. It is not absolutely necessary to read that story to understand this one, but it would be very helpful. Please read the warnings in the ANs, however. It comes with a triggers warning. **

** I will also be writing another short companion story to this one. It will feature Amelia Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt in a platonic friendship relationship and will dig deeper into what happened during "that night" which Amelia and Minerva reference here. It should be posted within the next week.**

Amelia had always prided herself on her ability to keep her composure regardless of the circumstances, but her current situation was trying even her legendary control. She really didn't care to prod any further into Minerva's darkness, but at the same time, her investigation was still incomplete. She could not leave her duty undone, no matter what it cost her…or the woman who still held her heart after so many years. If Amelia was honest with herself, she had never really let Minerva go, and she couldn't help but believe that Minerva's silent Imperius had been a cry for help. Whatever the case, it was clear to Amelia that if the light had any chance of saving Minerva McGonagall, she was going to have to be the one to do it.

Turning to face Minerva, she met the elder witch's weary eyes.

"Minerva McGonagall, there is one final charge to investigate, that of your use of blood magic which is illegal. Will you give me the information I seek?" Amelia wasn't surprised when Minerva didn't respond.

Even Amelia Bones had her limits. Giving no more thought to warnings against unnecessary cruelty, Amelia blasted her way through Minerva's shields with a curse that was so dark that Minerva's eyes widened in shock…just before she screamed. Amelia ignored her.

_Once again, Amelia found herself in the same dark hallway. She wasted no time finding Severus Snape's door and shattering it. Amelia found herself in the sitting room at Spinner's End as Severus Snape stood facing Minerva McGonagall with Lucius Malfoy looking on. Lucius was holding a ritual dagger as he watched Severus and Minerva unfasten their cuffs and roll up their sleeves._

_ "I will cut your hands, and then you must clasp them together so that the blood mingles. Speak the ritual words. The magic will take over from there." He glanced at Minerva. "Do you understand that this may not work? If you gain more power, your addiction will likely only increase."_

_ Minerva frowned. "Frankly, Lucius, I am more concerned with having every resource at my disposal as I prepare for what will hopefully be the final battle of this war. The more power I have, the better chance I will have of keeping the students and the staff safe…and others."_

_ Severus saw the shadow that passed over her face, and he immediately reassured her._

_ "Alecto and Amycus are fine, Minerva. They're fast asleep in their beds in their room in your quarters, guarded by the strongest wards that we could cast and your own house elves." Severus almost smiled as Minerva relaxed slightly. But then he sobered. "Lucius is absolutely right. This may not work, at least breaking you of your addiction."_

_ The elder witch sighed resignedly. "I'm well aware of that. But I'm really past the point of caring. If I can protect my charges than my soul is a price I will gladly pay."_

_ Lucius rested a hand on her tense shoulder. "I doubt it will come to that."_

_ "It already has," Minerva said softly, her eyes suddenly gentle as she stared at Severus. "The cost of my enhanced power will be your life! I will carry the knowledge of that until the day I die!"_

_ Severus swallowed audibly. "We already know that I must die. The only thing left to be decided is whether my death will count for something. When I die, all my magical power will transfer to you. You will likely become the strongest witch or wizard in England, possibly in the world. Minerva, I can give you and the others a chance to survive. That's worth it to me."_

_ The embrace was unexpected. But suddenly, Minerva's arms were around Severus as she hugged him desperately; far too aware of how little time was left to hug Severus Snape. She was about to let him go, embarrassed by her action, but then he was hugging her back, his too slender arms clasping her against him in a way that reminded her of the way the Carrows hugged her._

_ Minerva blinked back tears as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "If you had been my son, things would have been different. I could have loved you. I should have loved you later when you came to me. I will never stop regretting that."_

_ Despite everything, he smiled then. "I forgave you everything long ago. And if I had been your son, I would have been very lucky. I do love you, Minerva McGonagall." Leaning down, he kissed her forehead._

_ Amelia noticed that Lucius had seen fit to turn away, giving them what privacy he could. As Minerva and Severus finally broke apart, Lucius approached them again._

_ Taking a deep breath, Minerva extended her bare arms to Severus. He mirrored her gesture, exposing the Dark Mark in hideous relief against his pale skin. She did not flinch, and a tiny smile ghosted over his lips then was gone. They both winced slightly as Lucius quickly made cuts into the palms of their hands. Then, Severus caught Minerva's bloody hands in his and began to speak a Latin incantation. He was quickly joined by Minerva and Lucius, and even in the echo of the memory, Amelia felt the power collecting around their mingling blood. _

_ Clearly however, something was wrong. Lucius frowned, ceasing his incantation even as Minerva and Severus continued, though they both turned to look at him._

_ Lucius drew his wand. "You were right, Severus. Minerva's magic is blocked, and the block carries the signature of the late Albus Dumbledore. I'm going to try to break through it because this ritual won't work if her magic isn't fully open." He glanced at Minerva. "Do you remember the Cruciatus that the Dark Lord used on you at the beginning of the Dark Revel?" She nodded, still continuing her Latin. "This is going to feel a hundred times worse than that." She nodded again, and he turned back to Severus. "Whatever you do, Severus, don't let her go. This is our only chance."_

_ Amelia watched in wonder as Lucius shouted, "Adflicto affligo!" A streak of silver light burst from his wand, wrapping around Minerva's neck like a noose. Severus looked alarmed, but Lucius held him back from acting even as Minerva screamed, an unearthly scream that seemed composed of the purest pain imaginable. Her eyes went white then black but stayed wide open as she writhed, contorting her body into positions that shouldn't even have been possible for her, especially considering her age. Severus had a death grip on her hands, and Amelia knew from very different experiences with Minerva that the elder witch would have bruises when he finally let go._

_ At last, it was over, and Amelia breathed a sigh of relief as Lucius nodded to Severus who broke contact with Minerva. She was panting and wide-eyed but otherwise well._

_ "I thought you said that I wouldn't receive more power until later," Minerva said, gazing at the two men. "I feel like I got a good deal of extra power just now."_

_ Severus and Lucius exchanged glances. "What you're experiencing now is the result of Lucius breaking the bonds on your magical core. You can thank Albus for that one," Severus said, casting a cooling charm over her which earned him a grateful smile. She made no response to his comment about Albus._

_ "What about your addiction?" Lucius asked quietly. _

_ Minerva's smile disappeared. "It didn't work."_

_ Lucius exchanged glances with Severus and nodded. _

_ Severus spoke. "We worried that it wouldn't. Now, with the extra power you will soon have when I'm gone, it will get progressively worse. You have an incredibly strong will, Minerva. You will be able to resist it for a time, possibly months. But eventually, you will be driven to surrender to your cravings or go mad."_

_ Minerva swallowed hard. "I can't let myself become a risk to anyone."_

_ Lucius lightly clasped her arm. "I know. That is where I come in. Minerva, when your cravings become too much for you to handle, you will seek me out. One way or another, I will give you the release you need."_

_ Minerva narrowed her eyes. "If you are in prison, how do you intend to do that?"_

_ Lucius's trademark smirk appeared for the first time that night. "That is where you come in. There will inevitably be a trial. If you speak on my behalf, I have no doubt I will be released with little more than a slap on the wrist." He paused. "That is the bargain. Speak for me and for my family."_

_ Minerva sighed. "I should have expected something like this from you. But I have little choice in the matter. Very well, I shall speak for you and yours."_

_ Lucius smiled slightly. "Give me a wand oath."_

_ Minerva drew her wand. Eyeing both men, she asked, "There is no guarantee that any of us will survive the coming battle. What if both of you die, but I live? Where should I go then?"_

_ Severus exchanged a troubled glance with Lucius. He sighed and met Minerva's uncertain eyes._

_ "If the worst happens and there are no dark wizards or witches left to help you, it won't matter much," Severus said softly._

_ "And why is that?" Minerva persisted, and Amelia was surprised to see the sheen of unshed tears in Severus's eyes._

_ Severus took a deep breath and held Minerva's gaze. "If that happens, you will be joining us very soon and probably taking others with you."_

The haunted look in Minerva's eyes stayed with Amelia as she was shoved out of Minerva's mind. She found herself staring at her prisoner who, though weary, was defiant.

"You were not supposed to see that. You only made it through because you caught me by surprise. I have to wonder what Kingsley would think of you if he knew you had cast the dark curse that you used to shatter my shields." Minerva eyed her knowingly.

Before she could stop herself, Amelia responded. "Kingsley taught it to me."

Minerva was clearly interested. "Kingsley taught you that curse? Perhaps the light isn't nearly as light as I thought."

Amelia knew she was crossing another line. She didn't care. "Does that appeal to you?"

Minerva looked at her in a way that Amelia recognized far too well. That look was one that usually preceded the two of them ending up in bed together.

"What do you think?" Minerva asked softly.

Amelia shifted uncomfortably. Obviously, her body still wanted her ex-lover. She already knew her heart did.

Briskly clearing her throat, Amelia tried to get her mind back on her duty.

Ignoring Minerva's question, she said, "Minerva McGonagall, I declare this investigation complete. I will present my findings to Minister Shacklebolt tomorrow morning, and he will pass judgment on you."

Minerva's frank gaze startled her. "And what will you say to him?"

Amelia frowned. "That is none of your concern."

Minerva laughed. It was a completely humorless sound, and Amelia had to restrain a shiver. It reminded her eerily of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Come now. I'm the one who is possibly about to be sent to prison. You just said the investigation was over. You can tell me." Minerva leaned forward expectantly.

Amelia turned away. "I don't share such things with prisoners."

"I never thought I'd see the day that you would become a hypocrite, Amelia."

Those words made Amelia pause. "What do you mean by that? Might I remind you, Minerva McGonagall, that you are insulting an officer of the law?"

Again, Minerva laughed. "Can it be? The great Amelia Bones is hiding behind the power of her office! How ironic! Tell me, Auror Bones, what would the wizarding world think if they knew just what you and our esteemed Minister of Magic did that night?"

Amelia barely restrained her gasp. "That was different! They were muggles. We were protecting our world. Our supervisor cleared us. It was justified."

"You killed them." Minerva's stare cut her like a hex.

"They were muggles," Amelia repeated. She tried to keep the sliver of doubt out of her voice.

"They were muggles, so that justified their murders. How convenient!" Minerva smirked. "It's interesting. I once heard the Dark Lord say much the same thing regarding muggles and muggleborns."

Amelia's temper was fraying rapidly. "How dare you even think of comparing me to that creature! I am a light witch and an auror!"

Minerva shrugged. "So you say. You are not nearly as light or as morally pure as you pretend to be. The main difference between the two of us is that I admit it. You choose to be a hypocrite."

Several nights of little sleep and nightmares coupled with several days of dark revelations and Minerva's refusal to comply finally sent Amelia over the edge. In an instant, her temper snapped.

Her wand was in her hand without her even being aware of drawing it.

"Damn you, Min! Do you want a taste of the dark magic I know? If you keep pushing me, that's what you're going to get!" Amelia was barely able to hold her wand still as she shook from the force of her rage.

Minerva was standing now, her hand outstretched. Her expression was a strange mixture of rage and grief, and she seemed on the edge of tears as she responded.

"Is this how it ends with us, Amelia, with both of us wielding dark magic and on the brink of casting Unforgivables? Albus always believed in the greater good, and you and I have spent our lives trying to follow that. Look where it has brought us!" A tear slipped down Minerva's cheek, but she didn't move to wipe it away.

Amelia felt tears blurring her own eyes, but she ignored them. She managed to steady her hand by sheer force of will.

"You're no better than Bellatrix Lestrange! You may as well be a Death Eater!" Amelia hardly recognized her own words, but her rage overrode her shock.

Minerva smiled bitterly. "It takes one to know one."

They cast Cruciatus.

Minerva's curse was wandless and silent. Amelia's curse was shouted with her wand in a death grip. It mattered little. Both women went down, writhing and screaming in pain. It was only because the two identical curses repelled each other that the pain lasted scarcely half a minute. It was enough. It was so much more than enough.

For long moments afterward, they lay on the floor, panting and numb, nearly uncomprehending of what they had just done to each other.

And then it all came back.

Amelia wasn't quite sure who had started crying first. But suddenly, she was curled up with her arms wrapped around Minerva who was twined like a vine around her, their robes soaked with their tears.

They both tried to find words. But there were none.

After a time, clinging to each other in the darkness, they slept.


	8. Crime and Punishment

**Disclaimer****: I don't own it, and I make no money off of it. Please don't sue me.**

**AN****: I have finally finished this story. This is the final chapter although I do plan on writing a sequel. The prophecy referred to can be found in chapter four of "Brother and Sister," another story of mine posted here. To anyone who has been reading and reviewing, thank you. **

Amelia woke to a warm hand gently stroking her hair, tucking it behind her ear. She opened her eyes to a familiar dark brown gaze.

She tried to speak, but Kingsley shook his head as he handed her a potion vial.

"Drink, Amelia. It's a nerve healing potion to counteract the effects of the Cruciatus that you cast on each other. I woke Minerva first and gave her one before I put her back to bed. You both look like death warmed over, but I think she is in more desperate need of sleep than you." Amelia swallowed the potion with a grimace and again tried to speak.

Kingsley stopped her, gesturing to the bathroom. "Go and make yourself presentable. You'll feel better. I'll get the elves to bring us something to eat. You're probably starving, and I also skipped breakfast. Then, we'll talk."

With a glance over her shoulder to make sure that Minerva was indeed fast asleep, Amelia sluggishly dragged herself through her morning routine and felt at least marginally better when she sat down at the table. For the three days of the investigation, her appetite had been nearly non-existent, but just looking at the food made it return with a vengeance. Kingsley ate silently, watching Amelia devour a majority of their meal. He smiled.

She looked up, caught his smile, and sheepishly returned it.

"I haven't felt like eating recently. I guess I was hungrier than I thought," she mumbled.

He waited until she had finished her second cup of tea and then called for an elf to clear the table. All business again, Amelia reached for her notes, but Kingsley shook his head.

"Amelia, I think it would be best if you just talked to me," Kingsley said gently.

For a moment, she was silent. "I didn't sleep with her…at least, not like that," Amelia finally blurted out, her lack of composure telling Kingsley more than her words could.

He smiled. "I knew that even when I found you together. I've told you before that I trust you, and that hasn't changed regardless of my title."

She let out the breath she had been holding. "Thank you, Kingsley. I can truly say that this has been the most unsettling investigation of my life."

"Is it as bad as we feared?" he asked.

Amelia sighed. "It's worse. It's so much worse than we imagined it could be."

Kingsley frowned and glanced down at the stack of parchments on the table.

"Shall I read these?" he questioned.

Amelia shook her head. "I think it would be better if you just looked for yourself."

He nodded, drawing his wand. She dropped her mental shields, preparing to allow him into her mind.

"_Legilimens!"_ he commanded.

And then he saw the truth.

It took an hour for Kingsley to watch all of Amelia's memories of the investigation, and another half hour passed before he broke the silence.

"Do you think she can be saved?" Kingsley asked.

Amelia's navy blue eyes were solemn. "I want to believe that she can be saved. I think she can be saved." Amelia bit her lip in an uncharacteristic gesture. "But Kingsley, I am going to have to recuse myself from having anything further to do with this case. I am finding that I am simply past the point where I can be impartial."

Kingsley smirked at her. "Amelia, you are not getting off that easily. Frankly, I think that you are the key to saving her. If anyone can, you can." He paused and took her hand gently. "Tell me something. You loved Minerva once. I know that for a fact. Did you ever really stop loving her?"

Amelia swallowed around a lump in her throat. "No. I never did," she whispered.

Kingsley nodded. "It was love that saved Harry, the love of family and friends. And if anything will save Minerva, it will be your love for each other. There is also the matter of the Sorting Hat's prophecy."

Amelia stiffened slightly. "I have never put much stock in prophecy."

He laughed. "Why not? Could it be because this one is so clearly about you and Minerva?" He sobered quickly. "Amelia, I know that you're not comfortable with the implications of what it says."

"Helping to mother two Death Eaters was definitely not on my list of things that I expected to do with my life," Amelia said with a hint of amusement.

Kingsley frowned. "But that's not the whole reason, is it?"

She shook her head. "You know me too well, Kingsley. It's just that I did such a poor job with my first chance at a family. I placed my job above everything and lost so many years with a woman who was ready to give up everything for me." Her voice cracked momentarily, and Kingsley glanced away as she got herself back under control. "And I lost the chance to be the kind of guardian…the kind of mother…that Susan should have had after her parents died." For one of those exceedingly rare times, Amelia blushed. "I don't fear battle, and I don't fear death. But this…I fear this. What if I'm not enough, Kingsley? What if I can't save her?"

Kingsley squeezed her hand. "You won't be doing this alone, Amelia. I am going to ask Filius to be keeper over both of you because, as you say, you can't be impartial anymore. I am also going to contact Lucius Malfoy and see to getting his assistance with Minerva's problem."

Amelia sighed, the blush deepening. "Do you suppose he would be willing to take on more than one witch? I find myself forced to admit that this investigation has left me far too close to the edge of dark magic addiction myself. I'm worried that remaining at Minerva's side will only make it worse. The darkness in her…attracts me."

Kingsley smiled a little sadly. "I'm glad that you realize that, and I have no doubt that Lucius Malfoy can be persuaded or if necessary commanded to take on both of you. But I do hope that you realize one thing. It's not our darkness that is evil, and dark magic is not evil in and of itself. It is what we do with our magic, light or dark, that makes it good or evil. It is also possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason."

"Or to find that there is not so much good and evil as there are degrees of each and infinite shades of grey." Minerva's voice was still raw and rough, but she stood at the bars of her cell looking at least somewhat more put together than she had the previous day. Empty dishes stood on the table beside her bed so she'd clearly eaten. She'd had a shower and dressed in clean clothes, and her hair, though not pinned up, was in a neat braid. Only the haunted look in her green eyes betrayed her.

In an instant, Kingsley and Amelia were all business again, and Kingsley pulled up a chair beside Amelia's desk as Amelia seated herself. Minerva sat down on the bed and waited.

"Minerva McGonagall, I have heard the report of Auror Bones on your actions during the final year of the war. I am prepared to render my judgment on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. Minerva McGonagall, please rise."

Swallowing hard, Minerva did so, wondering if she was about to experience her last moment as a free woman.

Kingsley continued. "It is the judgment of this Court that you are found guilty on all counts on which you were accused including the use of all three Unforgivables, the condoning and use of torture, the use of blood magic, and murder."

Minerva did not appear to react, but neither Amelia nor Kingsley missed the slight tremble that shook her hands then was gone.

"It is quite clear that you are most definitely guilty of these crimes. But it is also clear that there were a great deal of mitigating circumstances involved, and I have little doubt that had you not done what you did, this war might have ended very differently and not for the better." His breath caught for a moment, and he looked away from them, gathering his composure again.

"If they had not been properly controlled, the Carrows might have caused great harm to the students. If you had not accompanied Severus Snape to the Revel that night, we might have lost him, and the students might very well have been slaughtered before we had a chance to save them. And if you had not done as you were bidden at that Revel, we might have lost not only Snape but you as well. While I don't condone what Snape did in making you the receiver of all his power, I also don't condone Albus Dumbledore's binding of your magic, and I understand that, if Dumbledore had not done so, Snape's gifting you with his magic might not have been necessary." The Minister of Magic sighed. "It is clear that you were managing an incredibly precarious balance during the period of your crimes, and I would note off the record that I doubt that I could have done any better than you did."

Kingsley took a sip of his now cold tea as he rubbed his forehead and then met Minerva's eyes again. Minerva tensed slightly, and Amelia stiffened. Kingsley had not told her exactly what Minerva's punishment would be.

"Be that as it may, the crimes of which you are guilty are grievous, and it would be a travesty of justice to spare you due punishment. Therefore, having been judged and found guilty, this is your sentence."

He paused, holding Minerva's gaze with his own. "Minerva McGonagall, you shall be on probation as headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the period of a year and a day. During your probation, you shall be overseen by Filius Flitwick pending his agreement to serve in that position. Though you shall retain the title of headmistress, he shall be deputy headmaster and shall have full veto power over any action that you take. Shall it be necessary, he shall be empowered to depose you from your position as headmistress unilaterally and without waiting for consent from the Board of Governors and myself. At the end of your probation, there will be a private hearing at which time the decision will be made as to whether to end your probation, continue it, or dismiss you from the school entirely. Do you understand?"

Minerva nodded and managed to answer, "Yes, Minister."

Kingsley continued. "Furthermore, you shall be obliged to attend private instruction with Lucius Malfoy in order to attempt to reign in your addiction to dark magic as well as to better control the considerable magical power that you now possess. At the end of your probation, Lucius Malfoy will report on whether he believes you to be in sufficient control of yourself to not be a danger to others."

Again, Minerva nodded. Amelia almost bit her lip, remembering Kingsley's comment about the prophecy and suspecting that she knew what the final requirement of Minerva's punishment would be.

"There is one more slightly unusual stipulation. Regarding the imprisoned Death Eaters, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, are you aware that an alternative to imprisonment has been proposed for them? It has been observed that the two siblings are docile and withdrawn, that they have difficulty doing anything unless they are ordered to, and that they ask constantly for you. Their behavior was puzzling, but with the findings of this investigation, I now understand why they have been acting as they have since they were under the Imperius for so long. It is clear to me that the proposed punishment would probably be beneficial, not just to them, but hopefully to you as well."

"Minister, what are you saying?" Amelia cut in. Kingsley smiled.

"I am saying that a potion has been created to de-age someone, not just temporarily, but permanently. It has never been tested, and Alecto and Amycus would be the first to receive it. They would be regressed to the ages that they were when their mother died, three and five years old respectively, with the stipulation that Alecto would be permitted to begin at Hogwarts when she turns nine so she may attend with her brother." The Minister raised his brows at them. "Alecto and Amycus will be children again. Essentially, they will have the chance to live their lives over again. And you, Minerva McGonagall, will be their mother."

Minerva was so startled that she stumbled backward, sitting down on the bed. But what she said next was heart-wrenching.

"I can have them back? You'll give them back to me?" She was hardly aware that her voice was shaking.

Moved by her obvious affection for the siblings, Kingsley softened his tone.

"Yes, Minerva. They will be your children to the fullest extent of the law. Now don't expect this to be easy. They will be children in every sense of the word, and you will be obliged to raise them as if you were their mother. Do you understand?"

Too overcome to speak, Minerva simply nodded.

Kingsley eyed her shrewdly. "There is one more thing. Alecto and Amycus will be monitored closely during their year with you. If you are unwilling or unable to comply with the terms of your probation, they will be taken from you, and you will not get them back."

Minerva gasped and blinked back tears.

"However," the Minister continued gently. "If your probation is successful, you will be permitted to blood adopt them. Furthermore, you and your companion, if you have found one by that time, will be offered the chance to take the potion yourselves, to be regressed to whatever age you wish in order to be in a better position to raise the children." Kingsley glanced obliquely at Amelia who did not meet his eyes.

At this, Minerva could not keep her composure and broke down completely. She turned away, and Kingsley faced Amelia, tactfully giving Minerva a chance to master herself.

"Auror Bones, for the moment, I believe we can consider this case closed pending evaluation at the end of the probation period. Do you concur?"

"I do, Minister." She took a deep breath. "Having completed my duties, I am at your service. Have you any orders for me?"

Kingsley smiled. "I most certainly do, Auror Bones. I order you to remain at Minerva's side during the period of her probation. I order you to execute to the best of your ability your position as professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Furthermore, I order you to be Hogwarts' official auror for as long as you serve here."

Amelia managed a small smile. "I will do all that, Minister."

But Amelia was surprised when Kingsley cast a silencing charm and bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Above all, Amelia, I am ordering you to stay at Minerva's side as much as she will let you. And though I cannot order you to do this, I implore you to open your heart to loving her again."

Amelia blinked back tears and, for just a moment, rested her head against his chest. Chastely, he tilted her chin up and kissed her forehead.

"You don't need to worry about that one, Kingsley," Amelia whispered, glancing back at Minerva. "I already have."

He left them alone after that. Amelia sat down on the bed and waited, but it was another quarter of an hour before Minerva finally turned to face her.

They sat there in silence, neither quite sure what to say.

Finally, Minerva spoke. "You are to be my keeper now. Kingsley can say all he wants about Filius, but it is you whom he expects to save me from myself."

Amelia sighed. "I suppose you could conclude that." She paused and asked more softly. "Do you want to be saved?"

Minerva's green eyes gleamed with the remnant of tears. "I want Alecto and Amycus back. And I want you." The last word was so quiet that Amelia could barely hear it. "But I don't want to give up all my darkness. It's so sweet, so rich, and so beautiful. I can't let it all go." She managed a rough chuckle and glanced away. "I guess that's not what I'm supposed to say."

Amelia cursed her shaking hands as she turned Minerva's face so she could look into her eyes.

"You're right. It's not. But if I told you that I understand, even that I feel the same, would you hold it against me?" Amelia whispered.

"No. I never have, and I never will." Minerva moved closer. "I guess we will have to save each other then." She hesitated. "And if we can't…"

Amelia bit her lip. "If we can't, then I will follow you all the way down."

Whatever else they might have said was swallowed up in a kiss.

It tasted like hope and darkness.


End file.
